


Shocking Surprises

by Chimeranyx



Series: Demon King Escargoon AU [3]
Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Genre: Gen, Gijinka AU, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Meta Knight has Self-Doubt, Mind Control, Nightmare is planning A Thing, SPOILERS IN THE TAGS BOYS, Tiff breaks A Rule, demon beast abilities, demon beast!meta knight, elements of game!verse are present, headcanon-based lore, i pick and choose from the dub and sub names as i please, meta also has anosmia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26130283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chimeranyx/pseuds/Chimeranyx
Summary: As Escargoon learns more about his new body, someone strange visits Dream Land. Is Meta Knight hiding something?
Series: Demon King Escargoon AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1792612
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

Escargoon looked out over his kingdom, thinking of what was on the agenda today. Surprisingly, there wasn't much. Dream Land was a sleepy little country, despite the fact that you know, it now had a demon beast as its king.

His new body - well, it wasn't exactly _new_ , since it had been about a month since his rebirth - it was full of surprises. One, being, apparently, an advanced yet strangely selective sense of smell. Escargoon caught a whiff of cotton candy, and he spotted the culprits flying towards the balcony he was standing on.

"Good morning your majesty!" Lololo shouted as he and his sister approached.

"Sir Ebrum will be a little late today!" Lalala said with a bow. "Tuff thought it was funny to turn his alarm clock off."

"Mmh, that's fine. I don't need him desperately today." Escargoon liked talking to these two - as far as he knew, they were the only demon beasts in town, other than himself. He had his suspicions about someone else though. "Say… do you two realize you smell like cotton candy?" 

"Huh?" Lalala lifted her brother's arm and gave his pit a sniff, much to his alarm and disgust. "Huh, I guess we do…"

"It's weird. I never really picked up the scent before I was, um. Turned." Escargoon leaned on the balcony wall, pensive.

"Well, you have a funny smell too." Lololo pointed out. "Like, a summer storm or something."

"Oh, how poetic." Escargoon rubbed his hand beneath his own armpit then sniffed it, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "I don't smell anything weird - _hey!_ " The two were laughing at him now. "You guys said that just so I'd do something gross, didn't you?"

"Heheh, no. I'm actually kinda curious, but it was funny! Maybe only other demon beasts can smell it?" Lalala asked as she perched on the wall. 

"Yeah, all the demon beasts Dedede ordered always smelled funny." Lololo's face crinkled as if he'd licked a lemon. "Especially Wolfwrath! I didn't even know it was possible for wet dog smell to _also_ stink like it was on fire!"

"Oh, and Kirby smells like raspberries!" Lalala giggled. "But you've probably noticed, right?"

Escargoon curled a bit of his hair around his finger, thinking. Kirby did indeed smell like a fresh jar of raspberry jam - to the point Escargoon had thought someone was making a pie the first time Kirby stopped by for a visit. "Yeah, but he's not a demon beast. At least I don't think so." 

"Of course he isn't."

Escargoon nearly jolted off the balcony, and whirled to see the one he had suspicions about. "Jeez! Don't _do_ that!" He looked his visitor over - Meta Knight looked the same as he always did, with his silly mask and his velvety cape. "You don't even live here anymore, so what are you even doing here?"

Meta Knight tilted his head. "Apologies, your majesty. I simply came by because I needed to retrieve a few things." The knight stepped forward, bringing with him the scent of steel and chocolate. He always smelled like that. _Interesting_. "Kirby is a child of the stars - a people known as starfolk." He looked off into the distance, probably thinking of something mysterious - yup, there his eyes flashed green, a sign he was thinking something over. "There were many of them in the Galaxy Star Army, but… well. Nightmare made it so his beasts could easily scent them out."

"Mmh, and what about other demon beasts?" Escargoon asked, leaning back on the balcony wall. "Is there a point to being able to smell them?"

Meta shifted a bit. "Sire… I have notes on demon beasts. I can bring them to you later, if you'd like." 

"That'd be nice. I don't have anything planned this evening. Momma's not due back for a couple days, since she's bringing her chickens back with her. We're gonna put a coop in the courtyard, right…" Escargoon pointed to a small, slightly shaded area where a Waddle Dee was taking a nap. "There, maybe? I talked it over with Waddle Doo, and he says it shouldn't get in the way of things."

"Oh, speaking of your mother… is she going to be staying in the castle?" Meta Knight walked over and perched himself on the wall. What was he trying to do, feel taller?

"Yup, probably in Sir Ebrum's old apartment." Escargoon spotted the king's old limo approaching over the horizon. "And speaking of him, here's almost here." He turned to head down to the courtyard, and to get to work. "See you guys later."

* * *

At around noon, Escargoon wandered down to the village to grab a bite to eat, accompanied by Waddle Doo. Kawasaki's food only tasted slightly better now that he was a demon beast, but it was cheap and the guy could crank out large quantities of it quickly - and Escargoon was eating quite a lot these days, almost enough to rival Kirby!

He certainly got shocked looks, though - he wasn't a common sight in town, mostly because he'd only gotten decent clothes last week. The double takes were just something he'd have to get used to.

As the two approached the restaurant, though, Escargoon caught a whiff of what smelled like the inside of a computer. "Say, uh, maybe we should just pick up something from Tago's instead," he muttered.

Waddle Doo paused, his hand hovering over the door handle. "Hm? Why's that, your majesty?" 

"Doesn't something smell weird to you?" Escargoon sniffed the air again, confirming that no, he wasn't fooling himself. "Weirder than usual, I mean."

"Uh, no?" Waddle Doo sniffed the air as well, a confused look in his eye. As he did, the door to Kawasaki's slid open, and the scent grew stronger as a stranger walked out, awkwardly balancing a styrofoam box under one arm and a big canvas bag under the other.

Escargoon instantly felt suspicious, even as this person - a middle-aged man, in paint stained clothes - looked up at him and flashed a warm smile. "Oh! Are you the king the owner brought up?" 

"Indeed." Somehow, Escargoon had managed to bite back his mistrust. Someone like this should have probably smelled like lukewarm coffee and colored pencils, not hardware.

The man chuckled. "It's nice to meet you, King Escargoon. My name is Andre, and I'm a traveling artist." He shuffled his cargo around, then fished a card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Waddle Doo. "I was just passing through your kingdom, but I would love to do your portrait while I'm here!"

A whiff of raspberry caught Escargoon's attention, suddenly, and he caught a glimpse of Kirby chasing a butterfly. He noticed, too, that Andre had turned his head to stare at the little star warrior, almost transfixed for a moment. "...Ah. I should really get going before the sunlight gets bad!" He nodded to Escargoon. "I do hope you take me up on the offer." With that, he shuffled off.

As Andre walked out of eyesight, the computer scent faded away, and Escargoon noticed a hint of chocolate in the air. "Hey, Meta Knight."

"Yes, your majesty?" The knight spoke from behind him, and he turned to see Meta Knight with a plastic bag looped over his arm. 

"You saw that Andre guy, right?" Escargoon tugged at his beard. "Something was off about him."

"Are you certain, sire?" Meta Knight turned to Kawasaki, who had just poked his head out the door with a perplexed expression. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, I just remembered. I never told that guy the king's name, and he acted like he never heard of him before..." Kawasaki wrung his hands in his apron. "Something's definitely weirder than my Sunday Experimental Special here."

"Mmh." Escargoon stared at the spot Andre had slipped out of sight. "Waddle Doo. After you're done eating, go back to the castle and tell Sir Ebrum I'm going to be out for a bit."

* * *

Tracking down Andre had been easy. All he'd had to do was follow his nose.

Escargoon looked down at the pair who had followed him. Kirby smiled back at him and cooed, while Meta Knight watched their target, who was quietly painting a picture of the mayor's flocks on top of a hill. His nose wrinkled - the normally pastoral hills smelled like a cake shop's cash register had caught on fire. Meta Knight cleared his throat and nodded up at him, and together, the three approached the artist. "Well, fancy meeting you here!" Escargoon said, noting how Andre turned and smiled warmly again.

"Ah, your majesty! Have you given any thought about my offer?" Andre wiped his messy hand with a rag, then offered it forward to shake.

Escargoon decided to ignore that. A handshake would be awkward anyway, what with his height. "Mmh, no, I was going to meet with the mayor's wife, actually." He glanced at the mayor's home off in the distance, noting that Len was on his porch, talking to Tiff and Tuff. Oh, they were probably looking for Kirby, who had wandered off to play with a particularly fluffy lamb. "I was interested in maybe getting a few balls of yarn as a gift for my momma, and she knows a lot about that sorta thing."

"Oh! I see!" Andre turned his attention to Meta Knight, a strange gleam in his eye. "And who's this mysterious fellow?"

"Ah, forgive me. I am Meta Knight." Meta extended a hand from under his cape, and as soon as Andre accepted the handshake, he seemed to freeze up.

"Oh, Meta Knight? I've heard that name. You're quite well known, you know." Andre's grin was now sinister, as he let go and tucked his hands in his pockets. "In fact, I'm certain I know more about you than either of your kings."

Meta Knight made a strange choking noise, and stiffly turned away from the group. "H… hey! What's going on here?" Escargoon demanded.

Andre's response was cruel laughter. "Your majesty, your knight has been keeping secrets! Look!" He jabbed a finger at Meta Knight as the wind began to pick up.

"Well, he serves the people, not me, but - oh?" The midnight blue cape fluttered off of Meta Knight's shoulders, and Escargoon's eyes widened as a pair of leathery wings unfurled themselves from the knight's back. The scent of chocolate practically assaulted his nostrils now, but… there were more pressing matters then that. 

Escargoon whirled to face Andre. " _You_! You're controlling him, aren't you?" he snarled, letting electricity charge between his horns. 

"Ah ah! Not so fast!" Meta Knight was suddenly between the king and the artist, his wings spread, his sword drawn, and his eyes flashing bright orange. Andre sneered from his relative safety. "Are you _sure_ you want to battle with a legendary star warrior?"

Escargoon paused, then steeled his resolve. "If it means getting rid of _you…_ so be it."

He roared and let loose a bolt straight into Meta Knight's breastplate, sending him reeling into Andre and his easel, which crumpled like it was made of straws. Escargoon wasted no time and was quickly upon the two, flinging Meta Knight aside and gripping the artist by the neck.

"You brought up the _other_ king, so I bet you know what happened to him, don't you, Andre? How I killed him without meaning to?" Escargoon lowered his face closer to his prey. "I figure killing someone on purpose won't be too hard."

Andre grinned feebly up at him. "It'll be harder with a sword buried in your arm."

A sharp pain suddenly shot through Escargoon's shoulder, and he yelped and let go. He twisted his neck and saw Meta Knight's serrated blade jabbed into his flesh, saw something blue gushing out - blood? Was his blood now blue? He roared again, this time in pain, and flung himself in the direction of the attack, hoping to knock his attacker away. Instead, he and Meta Knight were sent tumbling down a hill. Escargoon squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the blade dig in deeper, felt Meta Knight grunt beneath him, felt something break -

" _Poyokay?_ "

Escargoon pried an eye open, and was met with two dark blue ones staring down at him. "... No, I don't think I am - _agh_!" 

The blade had suddenly been yanked out of his arm, and he saw Meta Knight kick Kirby aside. Kirby screamed as Meta Knight now rose his sword up and plunged it towards Escargoon's heart. Instinctively, Escargoon rolled over onto his belly. The blade clinked off his metallic shell plates as he charged another bolt between his horns. " _Hey, Kirby! Suck it up!_ " he yelled, then fired at the toddler.

Kirby's reaction, thankfully, was instantaneous. He took a deep breath of air, and his starry freckles began to glow. Escargoon's attack was absorbed into a strange vortex that sprouted from Kirby's chest, and his entire outfit changed. Now clad in a bright green safety vest and a crown of crackling sparks, Kirby's attention was fixed… on Andre.

Or, rather, what _used_ to be Andre.

Escargoon struggled to his feet and saw some manner of mechanical beast where the artist had been. In its hands was nestled some sort of controller, and it prodded the joystick gleefully. The air smelled like an electrical fire had been set somewhere, and he heard Tiff cry out behind him, watched Kirby soar past him on the warpstar. Good. He had another fish to fry.

Escargoon now turned his full attention to Meta Knight, realizing that his mask was gone. He looked… surprisingly youthful, his wide, golden eyes rimmed with soft eyelashes. "Y-your majesty…" he rasped out, his voice clashing with his tender lips. "My right hand… he placed the device there."

The message was clear. Escargoon nodded, then brought his arms up as Meta Knight charged him again. He twisted out of the way, then grabbed Meta Knight by the wings and tossed him at a large rock nearby. Meta hit the stone face-first, a loud crack rang out, and Escargoon was immediately worried that he'd killed him. Still, he dashed over and stomped on Meta Knight's hand, wincing at the loud crunch that made.

Meta Knight laid suspiciously still. Panicked, Escargoon knelt and turned him over, desperate for signs of life and… oh, those golden eyes blinked up at him and flashed brown, and Meta Knight fumbled for a cape that wasn't there. "You can't…" he mumbled, then covered his face with his hands. "Please, sire, don't look at me!"

"Oh, thank god you're alive…" Escargoon would deal with Meta's sudden shyness later, as there was a demon beast still on the loose -

An electronic screech rent the air, and Escargoon turned to see Kirby flying towards him as the demon beast exploded. _Oh. Well there’s that problem solved._ The star warrior dismounted from the warpstar with a landing that would make a gymnast jealous, then ran towards Meta and whined in concern.

"Kirby! You did it!" Tiff and Tuff were now poking out from behind the stone everyone was gathered by. Tiff vaulted over the rock and immediately started fussing over Kirby, and Escargoon turned his attention back to Meta Knight, who was still desperately covering his face. Oh, his hand definitely looked mangled, and there was a bit of a gash on his forehead...

A rock pinged off of the back of Escargoon's head, and he glanced up to see Tuff scowling at him. "Hey! You creep, why'd you hurt Meta Knight?"

"I… look, you've got the wrong idea!" Escargoon held his hands up defensively. "That _thing_ was controlling him! If I didn't distract him he'd probably have gone after Kirby!" 

"Yeah, right! I bet you called that monster here!" Tuff clenched his fists, growling with all the ferocity a seven year old could muster. "And now you've messed up his face!"

"No, Tuff, wait!" Tiff jabbed a finger at Meta Knight's mask - or, rather, the two halves it had split into. "Look!" 

"Yeah, see? You broke his face!" Tuff slammed his fists on the boulder in front of him, and winced.

"Tuff…" Meta Knight muttered. "It isn't my face, it is a mask…"

"Oh, um." Tuff seemed to deflate as he tapped his fingers together. "Well I feel kinda silly now…" Tuff mumbled as Meta turned to bury his face in the dirt. "Uh, do you want me to get your cape for you, Meta Knight?"

Meta Knight merely nodded as the adrenaline rush began to wear off. Escargoon's arm was beginning to throb in pain as Tuff went to retrieve the errant cape. Soon, the little boy returned as his sister examined Meta Knight's hand. "Here ya go. Your wings are cool, by the way."

Meta Knight grabbed the cape and wrapped it around himself, covering the lower half of his face as he sat up. "Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

Meta Knight tapped his finger on Galaxia's hilt, as he often did when he felt the need for a quick confidence boost. On his face was a white and gold masquerade-style mask that Memu had bought on vacation years ago. It only obscured the top half of his face, but that would have to do until he got the time to repair his regular one. He'd felt guilty about accepting it - the Ebrums had already allowed him to stay with them, along with Sword and Blade, at no charge. Sir Ebrum was also paying for his meals. He'd have to do some odd jobs soon to repay the family.

Under his left hand - his right was in a cast (something the king had covered the cost of, he'd have to repay him somehow too) - Meta clutched his notes on demon beasts. He had penned them over many years, allowed other members of the Galaxy Star Army to make copies and distribute them, rebound them into multiple covers, and in extreme cases, rewritten them from scratch. Any demon beast hunter would kill to get their hands on his compendium, and Nightmare would kill to destroy it.

As he approached the throne room, he paused. Someone else was here.

"...and he told me to come ask you." That was Tiff's voice. What was she doing out here so late? He'd seen her getting ready for bed with his own two eyes. Had she snuck out?

"Well, you see, I'm not entirely sure why I turned against Nightmare." Escargoon sounded pensive. "It… well, cutting them off felt like the best thing for me to do at the moment, you know?"

"Mmh." Meta peeked through a crack in the door to see Tiff sitting in her pajamas, hugging her knees to her chest. "Hey, um, Escargoon?"

The king looked down at the little girl from his makeshift throne. "Yeah?" 

"What's he like? Nightmare, I mean."

Something boiled up from Meta's past, and he pushed open the door. "Overbearing. Cruel. And most of all, power-hungry." 

Tiff gasped softly as Escargoon narrowed his eyes. "Y'know, your thing where you show up and say something mysterious is getting old." He then shut his eyes. "I get the feeling, though… you're not going to stop anytime soon."

"No, your majesty. I simply came to show you my notes, if you were interested. I should also take Tiff back home." Meta slid the old tome out from under his cloak and placed it in the king's outstretched hand, then reached for Tiff's hand. "Come on, then."

Tiff shook her head, a defiant look in her eyes. "No. I'm not going home until I get some answers!" Her forehead crinkled a little as she narrowed her eyes. "Kabu told me that Escargoon isn't the first demon beast to betray Nightmare, and that you would know more about that!" Her hands balled into fists. "So either you tell me more, or I stay here for the night!"

Meta stared at Tiff for a moment, glanced at Escargoon, who gave him a knowing look, then back to Tiff again. Her resolve clearly wasn't going to break, and it seemed she had the support of the king. Fine. "Alright then, Tiff. What you are about to hear and see does not leave this room."

Tiff blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Okay."

Meta sighed, ignoring the hollow feeling in his gut, then reached into the folds of his cape - a gift from an old ally. "Long ago, there was a legendary star warrior that defied Nightmare." He walked up to Escargoon and produced a small reproduction of a decades-old painting. "Their name was Galacta." 

"Oh? First I've heard of them." Escargoon gently pulled Tiff into his lap so she could look at the painting too. Meta knew what it depicted - he'd spent long nights contemplating its subject matter. He didn't need to look with the two, as he knew the details by heart - a knight in platinum armor, their huge feathery wings spread as they lifted a lance to the star-flecked sky. A bright light shone from the tip of the lance as a column of fire erupted behind them. Demon beasts fled from the warrior left and right - it was an awe-inspiring display of power, and the unknown artist's skill was just as impressive.

"Wow…" Tiff whispered as she ran a hand over the painting. "Did you know them, Meta Knight?"

"Not personally, no. But there were stories handed down through the Galaxy Star Army." Meta shifted a little. This was a topic near and dear to the hearts of every star warrior. "Galacta once defeated entire armies of demon beasts on their own. They were a glimmering beacon of hope… while they were still alive."

Escargoon looked up from the painting, toying with one of his curls. "So… what happened to them, then? I can't imagine they went down easily."

"Nightmare killed them himself." Meta felt his hands shaking as he spoke. "But he killed them unfairly. Galacta was ambushed by Nightmare shortly after a long, bloody battle… and he just barely managed to best them." He wrapped his cape tighter around himself. "They say their body dissolved into a cloud of orange butterflies after they took their last breath."

Tiff rested her chin in her hands. "So… what's Galacta got to do with what I asked about?"

"Nightmare wasn't done disrespecting Galacta when he'd killed them, of course. He created a demon beast in their image to terrorize the people Galacta had once protected." Meta Knight removed his cape, letting his wings stretch out. "He had high expectations for his creation, and the tasks assigned to this demon beast reflected this."

Meta paused to make sure the other two were absorbing his words. Tiff's eyes were wide, and she looked hungry to hear more. Escargoon seemed pensive. The gears were probably turning in his head, and his lips parted to speak. "I'm guessing that demon beast wasn't a fan of it, huh?"

"It was, quite literally, a thankless job. Nightmare never rewarded his beast, but was swift to punish it if it ever failed at a task." A shiver traveled up Meta's spine as he watched Escargoon's eyes widen - the story was most likely all too familiar. "Is… this too much, sire?"

"I… I'm fine." Escargoon had stopped curling his hair around his finger, and he glanced down at his lap occupant. "How about you, Tiff?"

"Hm? Yeah, I'm okay." Tiff's eyes were wide, curious. "What happened to the demon beast?"

"Well…" Meta felt his mouth go dry with dread. He hated even _thinking_ about this point of the story. "One day, the beast refused an order, and…" He blinked away a few tears forming in his eyes. Damn it, he was strong, he'd get through this! "Nightmare burned his insignia into the demon beast's flesh. And yet..." he choked. "The beast was foolish, and refused another order… that time, Nightmare removed its sense of smell, and warned that it would be its eyesight next."

Tiff was now chewing her thumbnail, probably without realizing it. "What happened the third time?" she whispered. Above her, Escargoon was silent, but his hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone pale.

Meta Knight took a deep breath, feeling his whole body shake. "There was no third time. The demon beast escaped, but Nightmare continued to punish it, both directly and indirectly."

"And that demon beast…" Escargoon said, his voice a low whisper. "He's with us right now, isn’t he?"

Meta Knight nodded, then turned from the king and lifted his tunic up over his head. He heard Escargoon suck in his breath, heard Tiff choke back a sob. 

Between his wings lie the insignia of Nightmare, burned into his flesh long ago. He remembered the pain like it was yesterday, remembered the scent of his own flesh burning - one of the last things he'd ever gotten the privilege of smelling. "He did this because I refused to murder a man in front of his children. He… he confronted me and -”

" _Enough_." Escargoon barked. It was enough to make Meta jolt and turn, and was shocked to see the king handing his cape to him. "I'm not going to sit here and make you tell me everything he did to you, or why. What matters is that you escaped, and you're trying to keep others out of his hands."

“Y-your majesty, I -” Meta accepted his cape back, draping it over his shoulders. "But…" 

"It's fine." Escargoon helped Tiff crawl off his lap, and she walked to Meta's side and gave his hand a gentle squeeze despite her quivering lip. He ran a hand over Meta's notes. "It's fine if I make a copy of this, right?"

"Oh! It… yes, that's fine." Meta glanced down at Tiff, then back at the king. "Is it alright if I take Tiff back home now?"

"Yeah, that's fine. She snuck out, did you know that? She ran all the way to Kabu Valley, then back here." Escargoon grinned down at her. "Didn't think she had it in her to break a few rules." 

Tiff giggled a little and stuck her tongue out at the king. "I broke a lot of Dedede's rules, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah." Escargoon smiled and scooped up the notes. "Get home before your mom decides she wants to try her hand at regicide too."

Meta took Tiff under his arm, and escorted her away from Escargoon. "The king is right, Tiff. You should get your rest."

"Okay." As Meta led her from the throne room, Tiff looked over her shoulder. "Goodnight, your majesty."

"Goodnight you two. See you in the morning."

As Meta escorted Tiff out of the castle, he noted that she seemed deep in thought. "Is something wrong, Tiff?"

"Um…" Tiff blinked up at him. "I'm sorry if this is a little personal, but... why don't you like having your face seen?" 

Meta paused as they entered the courtyard. He stared up at the night sky, remembering the stories he traded around campfires, and whispered from sleeping bags. "Tiff… what do you think Galacta looked like under their mask?" 

"Oh…" Tiff smiled softly. "You look a lot like they did, don't you?" 

"Mmh." Meta squeezed Tiff's shoulder. "I… do not feel worthy to bear the face of such a hero. I do not feel strong enough."

"But you're a hero too, Meta Knight!" Tiff gripped his hand a little tighter. "You've done so much for Dream Land, and the Galaxy Star Army!"

Meta took that in for a moment. "Thank you." He smiled a little at Tiff, then gently nudged her forward. "Come on then."

Tiff yawned and nodded, and the two made their way back home in the cool evening air.

* * *

Nightmare ground his teeth as he looked over the footage his servant had collected today. The plan to send a subtle beast was a failure, and he really had nobody to blame but himself. He’d been counting on Maimaigoon not realizing that demon beasts could identify each other by smell - but that traitor, Meta Knight, and the two halves of that failure Lola had foiled that plan.

He’d also expected Maimaigoon to drive the other demon beasts out of its kingdom - granted, it had been a bit of a rush order. Nightmare didn’t have the time to really ramp up the territorial behavior he usually put in beasts of its size. 

As Nightmare wandered back to his workshop, his thoughts wandered back to the traitor. So, now both Maimaigoon and that annoying brat knew of Meta Knight’s origins. He was becoming more of a nuisance, but Nightmare’s repository of beasts that could successfully combat him was dwindling. He'd have to find a way to eliminate him soon - or find a way to pick off Kirby right beneath his nose.

A part of him was admittedly curious about what sort of beast Meta Knight and Maimaigoon would produce if the two formed a mate bond. Such a beast would be a terror to behold - but a pain in the ass to get his hands on. He chuckled to himself - as if Meta Knight would risk a third mate bond when his first two ended poorly - which was Nightmare's doing, both directly and indirectly. He wouldn't be surprised if his creation had sworn off romance for good.

Nightmare giggled as he entered his workshop, swooping over the chessboard-like floor. The head of Dedede sat perfectly preserved in the center, guarded by pawn-like beasts that shuffled out of the way as he circled around. "Be patient, my king. I'll send you back to your kingdom sometime…" he cooed. "But I'm certain you won't mind me sending a few more beasts in your stead, hm?" 

Dedede didn't answer, but Nightmare cackled as he released his energy into the head, working his wicked magic.


End file.
